Latino Daily News

13 Tons of Pot Seized by Brazilian Police

The Federal Police seized 13.7 tons of marijuana over the weekend hidden in two trucks near Brazil’s border with Paraguay and made two arrests, media reports said.

The marijuana was found Saturday night hidden in lumber shipments on two trucks at a police checkpoint in Caarapo, a city in Mato Grosso do Sul state, some 100 kilometers (62 miles) from the border with Paraguay.

The drivers told police they picked up the lumber in the border city of Coronel Sapucaia and were told to deliver it to the southeastern states of Sao Paulo and Minas Gerais.

The two men, who told investigators they were paid 2,500 reais (about $1,350) each, face drug trafficking charges and could spend between five and 15 years in prison if convicted.

The checkpoint was set up as part of an operation launched in June to monitor Brazil’s borders.

The Federal Police and armed forces patrolled 11,600 kilometers (7,207 miles) of border territory and seized nearly 116 tons of drugs, 597 firearms and 8,000 kilos of explosives during the first six months of the operation, the government said last week.